The Seattle Sounders had a historic season in 2014, notching 20 wins, a US Open Cup trophy, and a Supporters’ Shield. The biggest test of them all awaits now, as they face their nemeses the LA Galaxy in the Western Conference Championship of the 2014 MLS Cup Playffs, presented by AT&T, with a spot in MLS Cup and a chance at a historic treble on the line.
There have, of course, been many standout moments that got the Sounders to where they stand this weekend. Here’s our breakdown of the top five Seattle Sounders moments from the 2014 season:
5. Pappa’s gorgeous chip
Soccer doesn’t get much prettier than this. In the 33rd minute of Seattle’s 4-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Oct. 5, Sounders midfielder Marco Pappa got one of the more aesthetically pleasing goals you’ll see this season after finding himself free with the ball in Colorado's area thanks to a perfect backheel setup off the boot of Clint Dempsey.
Pappa then cut back into space and lofted a gorgeous, arching chip shot over Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin to give the Sounders a 3-0 first-half advantage.
Obafemi Martins emerged as one of the top forwards in the league this season, putting together an MVP-caliber campaign with 17 goals and 13 assists. It was in Seattle's 4-2 romp over their archrivals, the Portland Timbers, that the Nigerian's star shined brightest, though; he scored two goals in the contest, including a 76th-minute bulldoze through Portland's defense to put an exclamation point on the game.
Martins received the ball coming up the left sideline and then managed to juke two Timbers defenders before finding teammate Gonzalo Pineda just outside Portland’s penalty box. After Pineda gave him the ball back on a give-and-go, Martins exhibited his supernatural dribbling skills and ability to maintain control of the ball in traffic, blasting his way through three more Timbers defenders before slotting his shot past Portland ‘keeper Donovan Ricketts.
This was right up there on a list of highlight reel goals for the Sounders this season and even got the nod as the number one top play of the evening on SportsCenter:
3. US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Sounders work late-game magic
We’ll stick with the Cascadia Cup theme for number three on our list, with Seattle’s suspense-filled 3-1 victory over Portland in the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup. After taking a first half lead on an acrobatic, mid-air tap-in from midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, Seattle seemed primed for another Open Cup victory at Starfire Soccer Complex.
But Portland midfielder Darlington Nagbe managed a dramatic stoppage time equalizer to send the contest into extra time. Aided by a red card to Portland’s Diego Chara, Seattle finally put the Timbers away in the extra session on the strength of goals from Kenny Cooper and Pappa to seal a wild victory.
2. Speaking of the US Open Cup…
The Sounders added to their trophy case early this year, sealing the franchise’s fourth US Open Cup trophy with
a 3-1 triumph over the Philadelphia Union
on Sept. 16.
After falling behind 1-0 on a first-half header from Maurice Edu, the Sounders managed to equalize on shortly after the second half kickoff on a header of their own from forward Chad Barrett.
For the third time in their five-game run, Seattle would need extra time to decide an Open Cup match after neither team managed another tally in regulation. But the Sounders came through again, taking a 2-1 lead on a goal from Dempsey in the 101st minute and putting the nail in Philadelphia’s coffin with another from Martins in the 114th.
1. Seattle takes the Shield
There’s no doubt about it. The number one highlight of Seattle’s season was their 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy in their regular-season finale that gave them the first Supporters’ Shield title in franchise history.
After a tense scoreless deadlock through the first 84 minutes, the Sounders took the lead on a tally from Pappa off the set-up from Martins, sending the home crowd at CenturyLink Field into bedlam. Pappa added the insurance tally in stoppage time after he stole the ball from Galaxy keeper Jaime Penedo and chipped in the dagger on a breakaway.
With the victory, Seattle vaulted to 64 points on the season, clinched the Supporters’ Shield trophy and kept their quest for a treble alive.
